I Was Adopted, So I Have No Way to Look at Family Balding History

Hello Dr.Rassman:

I am thirty years old and balding. I have frontal recession and slight thinning in the middle forelock but I can cover it up pretty good because my hair has a slight curl to it. My crown is relatively thick. As of yet, nobody has really mentioned that I am going bald even though I know I am and my GP has told me that I am that is why I am currently on finasteride and have been for the past seven years.

I was adopted when I was a baby so I never had a chance to meet my biological parents or see them in pictures let alone see my father or real grandfathers hairlines. At this stage of the game, what do I use or who do I use to assess how bald I will become? Is there a particular age (ex. 35 or 40) where I can say I am safe from completely becoming bald or thinning out anymore then I am? I am sure there are a lot of people in my situation who are adopted and going bald and don’t know where to turn to or what the future holds for us in terms of how bald we will become.

Regards

Generally, balding can be assessed with a good examination by a knowledgeable doctor by the time you’re 35 years old. Most advanced balding patterns appear in a man’s early 20s, and stability of the patterns are evident by the mid-thirties.

Even Norwood class 3 patients will show their pattern by the late 20s (see here). With the advent of bulk monitoring of hair mass, the ability to detect early balding has been greatly increased.